Motion Picture Production Guide 2017: 25 Resources to Get Your Film Made Faster, Cheaper, Better

Motion Picture Production Guide 2017: 25 Resources to Get Your Film Made Faster, Cheaper, Better

“Who and what can I use to make my movie? Where do I even begin?”

You may remember, if you’ve been reading MovieMaker for a while, an annual directory that included in every annual Complete Guide to Making Movies edition, called the “Motion Picture Production Guide.” Over the course of 10 pages or so—and in a font size that usually befits grains of rice—the MPPG listed anything and everything you might employ while making a film, from stock footage to sales agent. You may have noticed that this encyclopedic appendage vanished a couple of years ago—not retired, but under renovation. Well, it’s back in business, and merged with our Indie-Friendly Business List into this new iteration. We’ve done a bit of pruning, reducing the listings to just five essential categories with five items each, and this year asked some working independent producers to nominate their favorite products and services (thanks for the help, Anne Clements, Chris Ohlson, Nick B. Case, Kelly Williams and Kyle Martin!). So voilà! We present the more streamlined, more personal, just-as-helpful 2017 MPPG.

Screenwriting Software and Apps

“Whether I’m developing a project with a writer or tracking changes throughout the life of a production, Final Draft is what I’ve found to be the most robust and useful software out there, for an indie film’s needs.”

“Texas Film and Light is run by a working gaffer and his support team, so they know (and have, in-house) exactly what you need to make your feature come to life—from truck packages, to à la carte packages and one-off requests.”

Post-Production Services

“Heard City may be known for high-end commercials and bigger ad agency-style projects—but they’ve also mixed some of the most critically acclaimed indies in recent years. Incredibly talented, with all of the tools at their disposal, Heard City is an amazing audio post facility.”